Blue Sunsets and Whiskey. - J.Birch

Teenagers.

A girl?

That girl wasn't Cass. He looked so happy with her. He was flirting with her and touching her face.

Cass would be heartbroken.

I wouldn't tell her. She would cry, scream, break down. She had been hurt too many times. I look away from him. Back up to the teacher. I can't even pay attention to what we were learning before my eyes drift back to him. The girl was no longer there and he was fiddling with a pencil in his hand.

When did she leave? Wait. I never heard anyone stand up or leave the room.

No she was right there with him. Although he looked happier than i've ever seen, there's no way that was real.

I shake my head very vigorously, acting like I'm fixing my hair. Everything still looks the same, the girl is still gone so I just put my head down. 

Before I know it the bell rings and everyone packs up. I grab my books and my papers, shove them into my bag before rushing out of the room. I needed to find somewhere to go smoke.

I walk out of the front doors of the school, walking to the back again before deciding not to go to the bench, no way I could face Judd after what I just thought I saw. I walk to the small 'forest' behind the school, it was no bigger than the size of a football field, it barely even counted as a forest. 

I walk into it, going farther and farther until I can't see anyone, and I find a bench? Almost the exact same as the one behind the school but just here.

I pull out my joints, my roller, my papers, my grinder, my cigarettes, and my lighter. I put them all on the bench beside me before I light a smoke, and I search my bag more before I find my smaller jar of weed. 

I place that down too before I pull out my phone. A message? It's just the phone number as the contact and so I know it's a new person texting me.

Are you really smoking in a forest 'by yourself'?

Who is this?

What did that mean? Was I not alone? I look around, throwing my head to the sides as I do. I can't see anyone but I could barely see anything.

*Ping.*

My phone went off, I got a new text.

You look so nervous. Stop being so scared faggot.

Judd. It was fucking Judd. No one else ever called me that.

Just smoke with me, jesus christ Judd.

I heard leaves behind me before I see him, walking over and he sits down.

"Where the hell were you??" I ask him, he takes one of my joints and lights it.

"In the trees, duh." He takes a hit of it and hands it over to me. I laugh a little at his answer, he said it like it was obvious he was.

"Can I ask you something?" I mutter to him, I barely know him but when we were younger we were really close.

"Yeah?" He replied, I take a hit of the joint again and hand it to him. "I think I keep seeing things. How do I know if I am?"

His eyes widen a little, why did that shock him? "Uh- I mean you could try looking at it through your phone camera I guess." That actually might work.

"I saw something with you today."

"What?"

"It was a girl," I sighed, "I kept seeing you like 'flirting' with it, and then I blinked and it was gone."

"Really?"

"Yeah." He looked at me, I realised he had been holding the joint out to me so I took it, and took a hit. "Have you seen anything else?"

"Uh-" Tyvin. "No I haven't."

I lied to him.

"You promise?" His eyes almost glowed with the way he was looking at me. I felt weird.

"I p-" my voice cut off. I couldn't make a promise that wasn't true. "I did, see something else. But I don't want to say it."

"Why not?" He took the joints from my hand, "I won't judge you for it."

"I saw my ex." I look at him before looking down at my joints, I had four left. I pick one up and light it. "He-" I took a hit of my joint as my voice cut off, I couldn't speak about what he did to me. "He hurt me."

"Oh, I'm sorry." Was that really all he could fucking say? I'm sorry?

"Whatever." I took a hit of my joint, I felt myself closing everyone out again. Fuck.